I spent my day having both a female yearly exam and a dental cleaning, which really made for a lovely combination. (Yes, that's sarcasm, someone go call Tony Blair.)

The dentist said that I need to see an endodontic specialist, because one of my root canals needs to be re-done. So that was $600 well spent.

This is where the TMI comes in, you I'm giving you fair warning to avert your gaze:

Today during my yearly exam I had the opportunity of using a new technology, along with the usual degradation. It cost extra, but since a good friend of mine had surgery earlier this year for cervical cancer I figured I'd blow out all the stops and really treat myself.

After the usual smear was done, she performed a test called PapSure. It consists of swabbing the cervix with vinegar and then using a very small chemilumescent light and a magnifying lens to look for cellular abnormalities or lesions. If the term "chemilumescent" means nothing to you, imagine the glow sticks you can use while camping.

After I got over the idea that it looked like I was hosting a rave in my "underground club," if you will, it really wasn't bad. There's no pain involved, and it was only slightly more creepy than the usual exam. Plus it can make a huge difference in false negative results since they can get a sample from a questionable area rather than just taking a stab in the dark. (har!) I wonder if it will catch on?